Woodward, Okla. — In recognition of International Composting Week this week, local agriculturalist and cofounder of the Oklahoma Composting Council Kathy Moore wants to help others realize that compost "can do amazing things" to help rehabilitate soil.

Moore has witnessed it firsthand on her own farm southwest of Woodward.

When she first bought the land several years ago, she said the land "was all eroded; it was all sand and grasshoppers."

When it was "straight sand," Moore said ground temperatures would reach up to 150 degrees and was "too hot" for even hot weather produce like cucumbers and okra because "there was no way to sustain adequate water levels in the soil."

But a combination of composting and mulching has allowed her to grow a whole alphabet of produce, even "delicate" fruit like raspberries.  She also now grows almonds, apple trees, Brussels sprouts, blueberries, carrots, cherry trees, garlic, huckleberries, onions, potatoes, rhubarb, and more.

By adding compost to the soil, Moore said she increased the soil's water holding capacity

In addition to improving the soil's water holding capacity, Moore said composting helped to rebuild the soil's organic matter, which helps provide a habitat for microorganisms and worms.  Upon digesting this organic matter, worms and microorganisms return nutrients to the soil, which in turn are extracted from the soil by plants, she said.

The organic material also provides important nutrients to the soil as well, namely nitrogen and carbon.

Composting not only helped Moore provide nutrients for her plants, but it allowed her to rebuild the land itself.

"The land was so eroded that it had all these gullies, but I filled them with twigs, grass, and leaves in them and they are now gone," she said.

There are a variety of different composting techniques and Moore has used many of them on her farm.

For example, there is static composting, in which you just add things to a compost pile and allow them to decay at their own rate.  This is what Moore used to fill in the gullies on her land.

Then there is active composting in which you regularly aerate the compost pile by turning it with a aerator, pitch fork or other tool.  This expedites the composting process, helping the organic material to develop into a fertile soil additive that much quicker.  Moore uses active composting around her garden to create a rich soil additive to help her produce grow.

If you don't want to have to worry about turning the material every week, you can get worms to do the work for you using worm boxes.  In the worm boxes, red wiggler worms process kitchen scraps such as  crushed egg shells, coffee grounds and vegetable and fruit peels to create an effective and practically free fertilizer.  Moore uses a worm box at her home to create fertilizer for her plants there.

The worm boxes can even be used inside a home or an apartment, which just goes to show that anyone can compost no matter where they live.

Craig Coker owns a compost consulting business in Virginia.  He serves on the board of the U. S. Composting Council and because of various connections to Oklahoma, including a friendship with Moore, is also the other co-founder of the Oklahoma Composting Council.

Coker said that it can be relatively simple to get started composting.

Basically you just build a pile, like making a layer cake, he said.

"Start with some ground up wood, like wood chips, then add a layer of food waste, then a layer of weeds or leaves or yard clippings, these really should be cut up fine with pieces no longer than your fingers," Coker said.

Then just continue to alternate layers of "browns," which are nitrogen producing materials such as leaves, sawdust, hay/straw, wood mulch, pine needles and small branches, with layers of "greens," which are carbon adding items such as food wastes which include tea bags, egg shells, coffee grounds, and fruit and vegetable scraps.

Coker said the optimum size for a backyard compost pile is 4 feet wide by 4 feet long by 4 feet high.

"The reason you want it 4 by 4 by 4 feet or larger is because if it is smaller then it won't retain enough heat and you want that heat because it helps in the break down process," he said.

The heat comes from bacteria decomposition as microorganisms break down the waste into humus, which is an organic soil amendment, he said, noting that decomposition process can "easily heat (the pile) up to 125 degrees."

In addition to proper layering the pile, air and water are also important ingredients when it comes to a composting recipe.

That is why if compost piles are enclosed, they should not be kept in airtight containers, but rather be enclosed in such a way to allow adequate airflow around the pile such as within compost bins made with chicken wire or wood pallets nailed together.

"Flipping the pile" is also important, Coker said, noting that he recommends having 2 bins or areas close to each other for your compost pile so that when you flip the pile, you move the entire pile from one area to another "so that it all gets mixed up."

Flipping the pile not only helps ensure that it is properly aerated, but also helps to speed up the decomposition process and helps avoid any unpleasant odors.

If you just had a static pile, it would take longer to create the useful compost material and in that time might attract unwanted animals and other pests, Coker said.

Even with flipping, he said it will take "a good 4 to 6 weeks of moving it back and forth and stirring everything up to get a good breakdown on the food waste."

Moore said it can take up to 6 to 9 months to create a really good compost material.

However, Coker said that with proper management all that time and effort will be worth it.

"It's closing the loop, because you're taking food that you're growing in your garden and feeding it to your family, then what they don't eat you put in the pile and then you take compose from that pile and use it in your garden the next year to grow more food," he said.

For those who might not have the space, time or physical ability to compost, Coker still encouraged they consider using compost material on their lawns, gardens and other plants.  They can purchase compost material from a lawn and garden store or catalog, or perhaps from compost facilities, such as one that Moore hopes to develop at her farm.

"Compost makes a healthy soil and if you have healthy soil, you'll have a healthy plant.  That's true whether it's an azalea plant by the side of your house, a blade of grass in your front yard, a vegetable garden in the back or a whole field of alfalfa or hay," Coker said.

To learn more about composting, both Coker and Moore said there are plenty of informative websites on the Internet.

"You can just do a Google search of 'backyard composting' and you'll turn up lots of websites," Coker said.

However, he said in particular he would recommend the Environmental Protection Agency's composting website at http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/rrr/composting/backyard.htm.

Locally, people interested in learning more can call Moore at (405) 823-8295 or e-mail her at kathy@anichinimoore.com.  If you don't think you're up to starting your own compost pile but would still like to contribute to composting efforts, Moore also accepts donations of leaves and tree trimmings for composting at her farm and you can contact her about donating your leaves or limbs.­